Schwanau is an

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

Lake Lauerz __NOTOC__ Lake Lauerz (German: ''Lauerzersee'', old spelling: ''Lowerzer See'') is a lake in the Canton of Schwyz, Switzerland. Geography Its water area varies between and (depending on water level), a maximum depth of , and a water level elev ...

, located in the

canton of Schwyz The canton of Schwyz (german: Kanton Schwyz rm, Chantun Sviz; french: Canton de Schwytz; it, Canton Svitto) is a canton in central Switzerland between the Alps in the south, Lake Lucerne to the west and Lake Zürich in the north, centred on ...

Central Switzerland Central Switzerland is the region of the Alpine Foothills geographically the heart and historically the origin of Switzerland, with the cantons of Uri, Schwyz, Obwalden, Nidwalden, Lucerne and Zug. Central Switzerland is one of the NUTS 2 Statist ...

. It is occupied by a ruined castle, the Burgruine Schwanau, a chapel and a restaurant. Administratively the island lies within the municipality of Lauerz, but it is owned by the canton of Schwyz. The island is situated some off the south shore of the lake, close to the lakeside village of Lauerz. Its highest point is above normal lake level or above sea level. It is the largest of the two islands in Lake Lauerz (the other being Roggenburg). The island is accessible by a public

passenger ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

from the nearby shore. Access for persons with limited mobility is possible by use of a specially adapted boat and an

inclined elevator An inclined elevator or inclined lift is a form of cable railway that hauls rail cars up a steep gradient. Introduction An inclined elevator consists of one or two inclined tracks on a slope with a single car on each carrying payload. In t ...

to the terrace level where the castle, chapel and restaurant are located.

History

Traces of occupation on the island date back to around 1200 BC. There is little documentary evidence relating to the castle, but it is believed to have been built at the end of the 12th century and to have been ruined, probably as a result of a fire, as early as the middle of the 13th century. The island in known to have been occupied by

hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Ch ...

s at various times, including the 17th and 18th centuries. In 1684 a chapel was built on the island, but this was destroyed by the tsunami that followed the

1806 Goldau landslide Goldau is a town in the community of Arth, canton of Schwyz, Switzerland. It lies between the Rigi and Rossberg mountains, and between lakes Zug and Lauerz. Well known attractions include the Natur- und Tierpark Goldau and the Arth-Goldau valle ...

. In 1808 the council of the church in Schwyz sold the island to General Ludwig Auf der Maur on the provision that he rebuild the chapel. The island remained in the possession of the general's descendants until 1967, when it was purchased by the canton of Schwyz. In 2009 it was completely renovated.

References

External links

*
Web site of the restaurant on Schwanau
(in German)
Description of the 2009 renovation
(in German) * {{Authority control Castles in the canton of Schwyz Landforms of the canton of Schwyz Lake islands of Switzerland Ruined castles in Switzerland